Tales of Byzantium: A Selection of Short Stories by Eileen Stephenson

Tales of Byzantium: A Selection of Short Stories
by Eileen Stephenson

A young empress defies her powerful father for love and her rightful place on the throne.

A charismatic commander takes the gamble of a lifetime to save the lives of thousands of innocents.

An exiled princess finds a new sense of purpose and creates a legacy that will stand through the ages.

These stories provide a glimpse of the dynamic and proud Byzantines who lived during the height of the empire's splendor.

"Through elegantly described details, sharply observed characters, and especially crisp, modern-sounding dialogue, Stephenson takes these vignettes from the thousand years of Byzantine history, mixes them liberally with such excellent modern narrative histories as John Julius Norwich's A Short History of Byzantium, and manages to create three very intriguing windows into a part of history largely unknown to many readers."-Anne McNulty, Historical Novel Society Indie Reviews

About the Author

Eileen Stephenson was born in Fort Worth, Texas but spent most of her life in the Washington, DC area. She has degrees from both Georgetown University and George Washington University (neither involving the Byzantines) and is married with three daughters. Her interest in Byzantine history all started one fateful day when every other book in the library looked boring except for John Julius Norwich's A Short History of Byzantium.

Copy Received from Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for an honest review

Four Stars

I'm usually not a fan of short stories and try to stay clear of them but with the hustle and bustle of the holidays "Tales of Byzantium" was the perfect read. I thought that the short stories were all very well developed and fulfilling. I tend to think that it's difficult to adequately develop attachment to a story if there is not enough information but this book was an exception. I also thought that the author was able to balance the pacing and the unfolding of the story very well. Since I know very little about the Byzantine period I enjoyed the tidbits that I learned but at the same time I did not feel to overwhelmed with a time period I knew little about. I enjoyed the first two stories the most but the third was also fun to read. Overall, this is a great collection of short stories especially during this time of year when life becomes a little more hectic.

Giveaway

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